Polish Fashion Entrepreneur Makes Being Jewish Sexy

This article was originally published in The Times of Israel.

In Poland it used to be that you didn’t wear your Jewish identity on your sleeve. But things have changed. Today, thanks to Jewish sartorial entrepreneur Antonina Samecka, the country’s most fashion forward citizens — Jews and non-Jews alike — are wearing Hebrew words and Jewish symbols not only on their sleeves, but also on their fronts, backs and heads

Samecka and her business and creative partner Klara Kowtun (who is not Jewish) are the owners of RISK Made in Warsaw, a fast-growing fashion brand with a unique concept. RISK’s designs, all made of grey sweatshirt fleece material, may be inspired by hoodies worn to the gym, but the company’s tailored garments (blazers, dresses, coats, and most surprisingly, ball gowns and tuxedos) are stylish enough to wear either to work or out for an evening.

“We combine flattering tailoring with comfortable fabric, and we design for regular people with different body types,” Samecka, 30, tells The Times of Israel. “We’ve created new classics that don’t make you feel overdressed. You look better when you are comfortable.”

RISK manufactures all its products in Poland and has a number of different lines: men, women, children, maternity and pets. There’s also one called RISK OY that creatively incorporates Jewish and Israeli symbols, like the Star of David and the Hamsa, as well as words like Oy, Chutzpah, Shalom and Israel.